Filmmaking is a wonderful thing that has brought many cultures and art to the farthest corners of the world. However, it has changed significantly since it first appeared over 100 years ago as technology changes how filmmakers tell stories. Filmmaking is in a state of perpetual change, and here’s what filmmaking will be like in the future.
Drones
A piece of technology that is making significant waves in filmmaking is drones. The popularity of drones has grown tremendously in the last decade, and while they were previously only used for big outdoor shots, their capabilities are only growing more and more. They can fly for longer, support heavier cameras, and have much sharper and more stable turning. In addition, they are much cheaper than cranes, the other options for these types of shots, and their abilities will only grow as time goes on.
The Cloud
It’s no secret that more films are incorporating CGI and other visual effects than ever before. Practical effects are a time-consuming process prone to accidents. In contrast, CGI effects can achieve the same results and are flexible enough to be changed to meet shifting directorial needs. Currently, studios are moving a lot of their VFX work to various cloud platforms for rendering special effects. This shift happened because the cloud can fully automate rendering, and editors can modify content on a distributed workstation while collaborating with others. These are only a few reasons Hollywood studios are turning to cloud services for their production needs.
Mobile Filmmaking
One of the most significant technological marvels over the 20 years has been the continued refinement of smartphones. These devices’ cameras and technical capabilities have grown exponentially, allowing filmmakers to take many more opportunities in the film world. Many films have been shot entirely on cell phones, such as Sean Baker’s Tangerine and a few of Steven Soderbergh’s most recent movies. They’ve shown the massive potential of creating a film on these devices, and soon more will adopt it as the technology develops further.
Filmmaking will look very different in the future, but many of the same trends and themes present in the last few years will continue for a while. It may seem completely different in a few decades, but as of right now, the future of filmmaking does not seem too far away.
